Unfamiliar with the roads inside the Tianwaitian, Wanshao dragged Shang Can and nervously turned into a large rock. After confirming that no one was around, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
“…What’s going on?”
Before she could check on Shang Can, who had suddenly coughed up blood, she heard her leaning against the stone speaking first, her voice slightly hoarse and heavy.
“You… you’re asking me?”
Wanshao, who only knew about this for about ten minutes longer than her, felt completely at a loss. She anxiously recalled the list of participants from Qingyu she had gathered before coming, and no matter how she thought about it, the name “Yun Dui” was nowhere to be found.
“Originally, the only person from Qingyu who was supposed to come was the team leader, Chu Ming, who knows you— I have no idea what happened!”
Looking at Wanshao’s bewildered expression, Shang Can struggled to swallow the blood that surged in her throat and stood up straight.
“I want to withdraw from the debate conference.”
“Ha?!”
Her shocking declaration startled Wanshao, causing her to raise her voice before hurriedly lowering it again, frantically blocking Shang Can, who was already preparing to leave.
“What nonsense are you talking about! Now that we’re at this point, you want to back out just because Yun Dui is participating—”
“I can’t compete against her.”
Shang Can, usually playful and carefree, was now unusually serious. She didn’t show any extreme reaction but spoke in a calm tone, her glass-like eyes honestly looking at Wanshao.
“Staying would only be a waste of time; I won’t get first place.”
Seeing her like this, Wanshao, who had initially been flustered, suddenly calmed down, gazing steadily at Shang Can and relaxing her tense shoulders in resignation.
“…I don’t know the details between you two, and if you don’t want to face her, that’s your own choice, but that Dao Heart Lotus…”
Wanshao’s expression turned complex as she lowered her voice.
“Having known each other for so many years, I don’t want to see you die, Shang Can.”
“You can’t wait for the next nine years.”
“…”
Shang Can pursed her lips, wanting to say something witty to change the topic, but Wanshao interrupted her with a flash of sympathy in her eyes, insisting on her point.
“—Also, she should have completely forgotten about you by now.”
“All the special treatment you think she gives you… it’s just your own self-inflicted worries.”
“…”
Shang Can fell silent, glancing at Wanshao only to be met with a glare. Wanshao maintained a straight face for about three seconds before her expression crumbled into one of distress.
“Worst case, if you really have to face Yun Dui in the arena, I can find a way to disguise myself as you and fight for you, Ancestor!”
…What a ridiculous idea, such a bold but foolish demon lord.
Shang Can pouted, her heart, which had been disturbed by Yun Dui’s sudden appearance, gradually calmed down after this exchange, and she found herself hesitating.
Wanshao was still planning to say something, but at that moment, a long bell rang out in the air, and after twelve chimes, a loud voice echoed throughout Tianwaitian.
“Those who have passed the Heart Inquiry may go to the mountain gate to wait. Those who have not yet completed it, please hurry, as the first round of competition will begin in an hour.”
Wanshao, who was certain she wouldn’t pass the Heart Inquiry, glared at her badge with frustration, then warily focused on Shang Can, asking tentatively, “…Are you going?”
Shang Can took out her badge and saw that the previously plain wooden plaque was now faintly glowing with a blue light, indicating her success in the Heart Inquiry.
After staring at it for a while, she let out a long breath.
“Let’s go take a look first.”
That night, in the bedroom prepared by Tianwaitian, Shang Can lay awkwardly, frowning as she rolled twice before finally sitting up with determination.
The first round of competition was nothing to speak of; there were too many cultivators with varying levels of skill, and Shang Can ended up drawing a weak opponent. Before she could even consider pretending to lose, she had already knocked her opponent off the stage with a single move. Even the sword she had bought to feign expertise with weapons had not been drawn from its sheath.
She smoothly passed the first hurdle and obtained the qualification for the debate conference—Wanshao was quite pleased about that. Even when she left with the eliminated cultivators and those who hadn’t completed the competition, she was skipping happily, standing out among the dignified cultivators.
However, Shang Can’s mood was not so cheerful.
She thought long and hard and still felt that continuing like this was not right.
Just thinking about how close Yun Dui was made Shang Can burn with restlessness, unable to sit still.
Whether far or near, that kind of proximity was the most tormenting.
It wasn’t that she wanted to run away; she just wanted to stroll around Tianwaitian… and maybe find the Dao Heart Lotus, hoping to stumble upon it and take it away without much effort.
Convincing herself like this, Shang Can crept out of her bedroom, using her lightness skill to silently climb onto the roof.
By this time, it was near the hour of the pig, and Tianwaitian was eerily quiet, except for the lanterns held by patrolling disciples, with only a few dim yellow lights remaining; everywhere else was pitch black.
Although she had studied at Tianwaitian for some time before, the place was enormous. At that time, her range of activities had only been in the main mountain, and she was now exploring this guest accommodation area for the first time.
Crouching on the rooftop like a big cat, Shang Can carefully shifted positions, waiting for the patrolling disciple to look away.
Her lightness skill was always practiced well; she made no noise as she moved around, and by the time she had a rough understanding of the area’s layout, she hadn’t disturbed anyone.
With a sense of the terrain, Shang Can held her breath and gently landed on the ground. Just as she was about to head toward the main mountain, she suddenly heard a cold female voice from behind.
“Stop.”
Those two plain words struck Shang Can like thunder.
This voice was the third time she had heard it that day.
Only after she had taken a step to flee did Shang Can realize this was not a good idea. Frustrated, she intended to halt her momentum, but she had already heard the sound of something cutting through the air behind her. Shang Can quickly sidestepped as a dazzling light of a sword sliced through the dark night, accompanied by a pleasant sword cry as it flew past her ear and rapidly turned back toward her.
Shang Can didn’t want to engage in a pointless struggle; while twisting her waist to evade the attack, she pushed the sword’s hilt with her palm. The sword’s momentum faltered abruptly, and after spinning in the air a few times at an astonishing speed, it plunged directly into the ground three feet in front of her, sinking into the blue stone bricks by more than half a meter with a continuous hum, lightly swaying with the red tassel on the hilt.
The sword was extremely thin, as if wrapped in a mist, rendering it indistinct, slowly exhaling a sharp light that made it clear how deadly it was without needing to touch it.
Shang Can instinctively lowered her gaze and slowly swept over the familiar two characters on the hilt, feeling a tightness in her chest that she could barely suppress.
Wuyou.
“Don’t move.”
The voice behind her rang out again, flat and devoid of emotion. To an ordinary person, it would sound like a reprimand, but Shang Can suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
Yun Dui had always been a woman of few words.
When Shang Can picked Yun Dui up and brought her back to Qingyu, Yun Dui was only thirteen years old. Even then, she seemed mature beyond her years, rarely changing her expression, speaking sparingly, and with her cold appearance, people often misunderstood her as being difficult to approach.
Shang Can was a few years older, and her personality was almost the complete opposite of Yun Dui’s. She was naturally playful, bright, and had the ability to get along with anyone. Yet, when it came to her only junior sister, she often hit a wall, which frustrated Shang Can for quite a while.
However, she was undeterred, becoming more tenacious, and every day, she persistently provoked Yun Dui. As a result, not only did she skip her own classes, but she also delayed Yun Dui’s cultivation, making their master, Wangyue, furious. He scolded her harshly and punished her to sweep the leaves of the Yuheng Peak entrance’s Yuyin tree, and after sweeping, she still had to copy the heart method ten times before it was considered complete.
With a pained expression, Shang Can leaned on the broom. The Yuyin tree had worked hard to keep its leaves from falling to lessen her workload, but the tree’s effort was futile when the wind blew, as it could only produce a sorrowful tune to apologize to Shang Can, who sighed and patted its trunk to say it was okay.
So, she swept from dawn until dusk, and just when she had set the broom aside and was resting under the tree, Yun Dui, who had been missing all day, suddenly appeared.
“Senior sister.”
Yun Dui still wore her usual expressionless look, directly handing over a thick stack of paper. Shang Can, confused, accepted it and flipped through it roughly. It was filled with familiar, elegant handwriting—she had completed the heart method ten times.
“…Did the master punish you too?”
Hearing her question, Yun Dui seriously shook her head and replied solemnly.
“Only you were punished.”
…Well, this couldn’t exactly be seen as favoritism from the master, since Yun Dui was indeed only being pursued by her unilaterally.
Shang Can blinked, suddenly realizing the implication behind her action. However, seeing that Yun Dui didn’t continue speaking after that, Shang Can grew anxious and directly shook the stack of paper at her, asking, “So what’s this about…?”
“It’s copied for my senior sister,” Yun Dui replied.
After that, she fell silent again, her inky black eyes staring expressionlessly at Shang Can, her delicate features betraying no emotion.
Shang Can was somewhat used to this demeanor, but she still wasn’t entirely accustomed to this sudden action from her. Hesitantly, she pondered.
…Had their relationship improved? Or was it that Yun Dui simply felt sorry for her and wanted to lend a hand? Did Yun Dui know… that her handwriting, which showed no intention of hiding, would easily reveal everything to Wangyue with just a glance?
As Shang Can furrowed her brow, lost in these thoughts, she suddenly noticed that Yun Dui had been staring at her for as long as she had been deep in contemplation. Shang Can looked at her in surprise, but upon meeting her gaze, Yun Dui quickly flinched, stiffly averting her eyes.
This was probably the first time, despite the unchanged expression on Yun Dui’s face, Shang Can could definitely sense her nervousness.
Thinking it might take an eternity for Yun Dui to speak first, Shang Can decided to ask directly, “Are you nervous?”
Yun Dui’s long lashes fluttered, her gaze awkwardly shifting away as her delicate fingers subtly clenched.
“A little,” she admitted.
Perhaps because sitting down allowed Shang Can to see Yun Dui more clearly, she noticed every small gesture. She found herself puzzled as to why she had never noticed these little habits of Yun Dui before, and a hint of amusement surfaced within her. Even while chiding her own morbid curiosity, she continued to probe, “Why?”
“Afraid my senior sister will be angry.”
Yun Dui’s tone remained neutral, yet for some reason, Shang Can could distinctly feel her anxiety.
Angry…? What could she possibly be angry with Yun Dui about?
As this question crossed her mind, a sudden realization lit up in Shang Can’s brain, the answer she had been seeking became crystal clear, mixed with a surge of excitement.
Shang Can grinned widely, tucking the papers Yun Dui had copied into her embrace, then reached out to grab Yun Dui’s sleeve. With just a slight pull, Yun Dui obediently leaned over and sat beside her as she intended.
The neatly arranged brocade robe Yun Dui wore became slightly disheveled with her movements. Shang Can tilted her head to look and reached out to straighten her collar. Yun Dui remained motionless, her gaze fixated on Shang Can throughout the process.
“Are you worried that I won’t come find you anymore because I got punished?”
“Mm.”
The frankness was startling; Yun Dui nodded almost instantly as if she had been waiting for the question. This left Shang Can momentarily stunned, and her playful spirit surged at this candidness, prompting her to mischievously ask, “So, you like playing with your senior sister?”
“…”
This time, a long while passed without any response from Yun Dui, causing Shang Can to inwardly panic, fearing she might have gone too far. She quickly straightened up and leaned closer.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“…Mm.”
Before she could say “I speak without thinking,” Shang Can heard a response so soft it was almost a whisper.
She nearly thought she was imagining it, uncertainly glancing at Yun Dui, but through the strands of hair that fell, she caught sight of her ears turning crimson. It seemed Yun Dui had noticed her gaze, hurriedly turning to the side, then after a moment, she returned to add:
“…I like it.”
Incredible! Yun Dui had spoken two sentences in a row!
Shang Can could still vividly recall her astonished feelings at that moment.
And it was from that day onward that she gradually began to understand Yun Dui’s expressions of affection. Just like now, when she said “stop,” she truly just wanted to tell her to stop; when she said “don’t move,” she merely wanted her to stay put.
Yun Dui didn’t recognize her.
This was, after all, quite reasonable, Shang Can thought. She was still wearing the mask made by Wan Shao; even without it, it wouldn’t matter much, as they hadn’t seen each other in nine years—
—after all, Yun Dui had completely forgotten about her.
Suddenly, Shang Can felt a strong urge to turn around.
Thinking this, she did just that. Although Yun Dui had just said for her not to move, Shang Can felt she couldn’t hold back any longer. Even if she got stabbed by Wuyou, she simply wanted to see Yun Dui no matter what.
Shang Can slowly pivoted on her heel. There were no rebukes, no flashes of sword light, just a stunningly beautiful woman standing there, quietly gazing back at her.
She wore a plain white brocade robe, impeccably tidy and spotless. If not for her cascading black hair, one might mistake her for a being carved from snow. The frost-like moonlight poured down upon her, illuminating her entire being with a radiant glow, as if she were not meant to be entangled with this mortal realm.
She was far more vivid than any illusion, seemingly within reach.
Upon seeing Shang Can turn, Yun Dui blinked slightly. Her breathtaking features showed no signs of disturbance; Shang Can remained silent, and she did too, as if patiently waiting for Shang Can to speak first.
It was always like this; Yun Dui was quiet, so Shang Can would talk more, ensuring they would never feel bored. Back then, she used to worry about Yun Dui being alone with others, fearing she would be misunderstood, thus she always stuck close to her.
In truth, upon reflection, it was just her overprotectiveness. Yun Dui was simply introverted. Given some time together, anyone would come to realize that her nature was not as cold as the rumors suggested and that she didn’t necessarily need Shang Can to follow her everywhere.
Look, now, nine years have passed, and without her company, Yun Dui was still doing just fine.
Although still few words were spoken, she had now become a renowned cultivator in the immortal realm, admired for her beauty, and her strength could not be ignored. Even while Shang Can resided in the underworld, she would occasionally hear others speak of Jun Yun in respectful tones.
Shang Can felt a smile tugging at her lips but found it difficult to smile genuinely.
“I was just startled a moment ago.”
“I didn’t realize it was Jun Yun; my apologies.”
Yun Dui remained as she always had been; it was Shang Can who had changed.
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